1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems for assisting in leveling an object and, in particular, to a leveling system for a containment unit, such as a piece of furniture.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, when furniture or other objects are placed throughout a person's dwelling or work area, it is required and anticipated that the object be level. This is especially the case when the container or containment unit has unsteady, unbalanced or fragile objects placed thereon. In such cases, it is imperative that the containment unit be level with respect to the floor upon which it is placed, of course, assuming that the floor is also level. However, when the floor is also unlevel, the containment unit must then be level with respect to the standard horizontal plane.
It is common to have adjustable casters or legs on a containment unit, which allow a person to manually adjust the leg or legs in a vertical direction, whether upwards or downwards. Further, it is also known to use independently adjustable legs, so that the containment unit can be manipulated and assume a flat or horizontally level position.
Independent and adjustable legs or casters are often difficult to access. For example, since the legs or casters are typically on the bottom of the containment unit, one may often have to kneel down or even lie flat in order to reach under the containment unit and manually adjust the adjustable leg or caster. Obviously, such manual adjustment and difficult access pose serious drawbacks to the overall adjustability of the containment unit.
Another drawback is the person's ability to know just when the containment unit is level. In order to determine whether the containment unit is level, a person must then locate and/or purchase a level mechanism, place the mechanism in a central area or portion of the containment unit, and begin the adjustment process. This process typically involves adjusting a single leg or caster under the containment unit, standing up and then viewing the level mechanism, and continuing this process repeatedly until the containment unit is level. This may often be a tiresome and redundant process, involving an unnecessarily large amount of the person's time and energy.